The SIZA Environmental programme was developed to assist agricultural suppliers with becoming compliant with South African environmental legislation and to meet the ever-increasing requirements from global markets to supply with the environment in mind. Subscribing to the SIZA Environmental programme means so much more than just abiding to the law or meeting market requirements — it is a way of life, and one that is crucial to sustain and protect our one and only planet. The sustainable management and care for our limited natural resources (such as water, soil, and fossil fuels) and the protection of our ecosystems is crucial to ensure that we can continue to produce and process enough food for a growing global population. Every person living on earth has an impact on the environment and it is each and everyone’s own responsibilities to make sure that it is a positive one.
To ensure that we can assist our members to put the necessary practices in place to care for the environment, SIZA developed two similar but separate environmental programmes — one is called the second-party verification programme, and the other is the well-known third-party audit programme. The 2nd-party verification programme was developed to provide hands-on and site-specific assistance for our members to continuously improve their environmental sustainability. This programme is also a solid base to evaluate your business’ environmental sustainability and to improve productivity, and it provides a platform to prepare for the third-party audit programme.
We would like to invite SIZA members to register for the Environmental module and to sign up for the 2nd-party verification programme. By completing the Environmental SAQ, members will be able to benchmark their own business practices against South African environmental legislation and globally recognised good environmental practices. Included as part of the SIZA Environmental membership fee with no additional verification cost*, members will also have the opportunity to take part in the Environmental 2nd-Party Verification Continuous Improvement Programme which will assist them in implementing the necessary practices. It is important to realise that 2nd-party verifications are not the same as a 3rd-party environmental audit. Different to a 3rd-party audit, the SIZA Environmental specialist will be available to assist you throughout the verification process to ensure that your environmental practices are not only according to legislation and requirements, but that you can confidently grow your business and care for the environment that you operate in.
For more information on the SIZA Environmental module or to sign-up for the Environmental 2nd-party verification programme, please contact Karla Hoogendijk (karla@siza.co.za) at 021 852 8184.
*Terms and conditions apply.